If you don’t put yourself forward to the media you can’t influence what they write. If you are leaving journalists, who don’t understand the work nearly as well as you, to write stories from press releases and impenetrable papers in journals without making yourself available to explain it, then you pretty much lose the right to complain about being misrepresented.

Mark Henderson

The Times

Background

This guide was written by VoYS members for VoYS members. It’s a lively and informal guide to how the media works, and practical tips about what you can do if your research area hits the news. Whether you’re worried about what your peers think of you speaking to the media or would not know what to say if a journalist called, this guide will help you decode the inner workings of the media and will help you stand up for science. If you enjoyed reading this, check out the follow-up guide Standing up for Science 2.